Attack on Delhi chief secretary: Police arrest AAP MLA Prakash Jarwal

NEW DELHI: Police on Tuesday arrested

AAP

MLA

Prakash Jarwal

for allegedly assaulting Delhi chief secretary Anshu Prakash at CM Arvind Kejriwal's residence last night.


Sources told TOI that Jarwal was sitting on the left of the chief secretary while MLA Amanatullah Khan was on the other side. The two had started the attack by raining blows on Prakash, police said.

Earlier in the day, Prakash had filed an FIR against AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan and others for manhandling him. A case was registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) pertaining to wrongful restraint, criminal intimidation, causing hurt, criminal conspiracy, insult and obstructing a public servant from discharging his duty, Special Commissioner and chief spokesperson of the Delhi Police, Dependra Pathak, told PTI.

Jarwal was not named in the FIR and was identified through a photograph shown to the chief secretary, sources said. He was picked up from near Defence Colony. Amanatullah has gone underground, police said. A hunt is on to nab him and others as and when they are identified.

Accusations flew left and right after Prakash claimed he had been "held by the collar" and abused in the presence of Kejriwal and deputy chief minister

Manish Sisodia

at a meeting last night. The chief minister's office dismissed the accusation as "bizarre and baseless", but government officials are on the warpath, demanding an apology from Kejriwal and strict action against the legislators involved.

Earier today, Jarwal had lodged a complaint with the Delhi Police on the grounds that Prakash had used "bad language" against some AAP lawmakers at last night's meeting. Jarwal claimed that the chief secretary also made casteist remarks against him and AAP MLA Ajay Dutt.

"We had asked him (Anshu Prakash) about an area where people were not getting basic facilities like medicine, the chief secretary suddenly shouted 'Maine Daliton ki thekedaari nahi le rakhi hai', his temper was high. He said 'You are not fit to be MLA, I will only reply to LG'," Jarwal told ANI earlier.

IAS Association Secretary Manisha Saxena, after a meeting with the Lt Governor and Prakash, termed the attack as a "planned criminal conspiracy" against the top bureaucrat in Delhi.

Meanwhile, AAP alleged that the chief secretary was making false allegations and said he was working at the "behest of the BJP."
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